Jack Carter was 'one of the last great multi-talented performers'
-
Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Comedian and actor Jack Carter has reportedly died.
According to , Carter, who hosted NBC鈥檚 鈥淭he Jack Carter Show鈥� and 鈥淐avalcade of Stars鈥� and acted in various stage shows, died on June 28.聽
Carter was an extremely versatile personality who took on almost every medium in entertainment. In addition to his TV and stage work, he also appeared in various films, including the 1964 film 鈥淰iva Las Vegas鈥� and the 1981 Mel Brooks movie 鈥淗istory of the World: Part 1鈥� and directed such projects as a production of the play 鈥淎 Thousand Clowns鈥� and episodes of the CBS Lucille Ball series 鈥淗ere鈥檚 Lucy.鈥�
He also appeared on such game shows as 鈥淭he $10,000 Pyramid鈥� and 鈥淭he Match Game鈥� as well as guest-starring on various shows over the decades, from 鈥淎lfred Hitchcock Presents鈥� and 鈥淭he Dick Van Dyke Show鈥� to 鈥淒esperate Housewives,鈥� 鈥淧arks and Recreation,鈥� and 鈥淣ew Girl."聽
Deadline writer Jeremy Gerard wrote that 鈥渋t was on television 鈥� that Carter was ubiquitous, whether in dramatic or comic roles, or hosting variety shows.鈥� writer Ken Tucker also noted Carter鈥檚 range, calling him 鈥渙ne of the last of the great multi-talented performers,鈥� while writer Dennis Hevesi mentioned his 鈥渧ersatility鈥� and writer Marilyn Malara wrote that 鈥淐arter's career branched out to all media outlets of the time.鈥澛�
In addition, Carter鈥檚 guest stints on game shows of the time and variety shows exposed him to even more audience members than would have seen him in guest-starring roles on sitcoms or TV dramas. The variety show format doesn鈥檛 really exist on TV anymore in prime-time (though one hosted by Neil Patrick Harris is coming this fall) and shows on which Carter appeared, like 鈥淭he $10,000 Pyramid鈥� and 鈥淭he Match Game鈥� relied on celebrity appearances and were the perfect venue for Carter鈥檚 quick comedic timing and one-liners. Gerard noted he was a 鈥渇amiliar face鈥� on the game show programs, while Malara wrote that he was 鈥渂est known for his work on several variety shows and musicals.鈥�
Game shows aren鈥檛 normally a vehicle for celebrities anymore (you don鈥檛 see Channing Tatum popping up on 鈥淛eopardy鈥�) and the closest we have to variety shows is late-night shows, on which celebrities might drop by every so often if they鈥檙e promoting a movie or TV show, but not often more than that. The format of early television and popularity of such shows as game shows and variety programs allowed Carter to appear as frequently in the medium as he did.
